flashgordonfandomcom-20200215-history
Defenders of the Earth
Overview Defenders of the Earth is an animated series which ran in syndication in 1986. Produced by Marvel Productions in association with King Features, the series followed the pattern of the long-running Super Friends animated series, by teaming up an assortment of King Features heroes and villains. Set in the year 2015, Flash Gordon was the leader of the group. Other members included the Phantom and Mandrake the Magician and his sidekick Lothar. New to the series were the youthful offspring or wards of each member: Rick Gordon, Flash's teenage son; Jedda Walker, the Phantom's daughter; Lothar Junior, known as L.J.; and Kshin, an orphaned Asian boy, rescued by Mandrake. Also accompanying the team was Zuffy, a cute alien and the team mascot. Another King Features hero, Princa Valiant, made a guest appearance in the episode "Terror in Time." The principal villain, inevitably, was Ming the Merciless, re-designed slightly with green skin. He was alternately aided and hindered by Princess Aura and a new character, Ming's son Prince Krotan. Other villains included many of Ming's henchmen, and the Phantom's evil twin brother, Kurt Walker, newly created for the series. In the premiere episode, Flash learns that Ming is again planning to take over the Earth. He kidnaps Flash's wife (unnamed, but presumably Dale Arden). Flash organizes his friends and their children to rescue her, but she dies; however, her mind and soul ("essence") are stored in a crystal and restored as the Defenders' computer, Dynak X. The series also spawned a four-issue Marvel Comics series and assorted video games. BCI released the series on DVD, in two sets, and the first episode was included as a bonus on Flash Gordon: The Complete Series. Voices *Lou Richards as Flash Gordon *Peter Mark Richman as the Phantom *Peter Renaday as Mandrake the Magician *Buster Jones as Lothar *William Callaway as Ming the Merciless *Loren Lester as Rick Gordon *Sarah Partridge as Jedda Walker *Dion Williams as L. J. *Adam Carl as Kshin Episodes # Escape From Mongo # The Creation Of Monitor # A Demon In His Pocket # A House Divided # Bits And Chips # The Root Of Evil # Cold War # The Sleeper Awakers # The Revenge Of Astra # The Hall Of Wisdom # The Mind Warriors, Part I # The Mind Warriors, Part II # The Lost Jewels Of Tibet # The Evil Of Doctor Dark # Diamonds Are Ming's Best Friends # The Men Of Frost # Battleground # The Panther Peril # Fury Of The Deep # Family Reunion # The Defense Never Rests # Like Father, Like Daughter # The Would Be Defender # Doorways into Darkness # Deal With The Devil # Terror In Time # Ming's Household Help # The Starboy # The Gods Awake # The Ghost Walks Again # The Book of Mysteries # The Future Comes But Once # Kshin And The Ghost Ship # The Carnival of Dr. Kalihari # The Mystery of the Book # Flash Times Four # The Frozen Heart # Rick Gordon, One Man Army # The Rites Of Zesnan # Audie The Tweak # Return Of The Sky Band # Dracula's Potion # One Of The Guys # 100 Proof Highway # The Time Freezer # The Prince Makes His Move # The Prince Triumphant # The Prince Weds # The Prince's Royal Hunt # The Prince Is Dethroned # Lothar's Homecoming # Suspended Sabotage # The Call Of The Eternals # The Return Of Doctor Dark # The Deadliest Battle # The Necklace Of Oros # Torn Space # Ming Winter # The Golden Queen # The Gravity of Ming # Flesh And Blood # Drowning World # The Adoption Of Kshin # Street Smarts # Ming's Thunder Lizards Category:Animated Series